A Teachable Moment in the Midst of my Second Pandemic 9.22.2020
On Tuesday, September 22, 2020, we still get great questions from teachers. Here is my attempt at a fact-based reply. A reply loaded with verifiable content, America. #W2RTV, #northwesternuniversity
Ms. E's original question: on Tuesday, 9.22.2020:
I'm an early childhood special education teacher
and today we start hybrid instruction. The
majority of my class has chosen to come in seat.
I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around
teaching both in seat and virtual learners at the
same time. Any help or suggestions would be
great!
S. E., I have no tips on your specific issue. HOWEVER, I am curious as to if you work in a private school or for a public school district in the USA 🇺🇸? Since COVID-19, my former employer, LAUSD 1.) put me on the COVID-19 high risk list after March 13, 2020 , 2.) took me off when it decided we would work only in virtual classrooms after April 12, 2020, and then, 3.) after UTLA self published a 17 page data-verifiable-with-APA-citations paper in PDF titled "Same Storm, Different Boats", Superintendent Austin Beutner and his advisors took a bold step as Educational Leaders and proclaimed 100% virtual learning would be the baseline norm for the 2020-2021 academic year. I like to think that even without classroom experience, Austin Beutner made the same decision most parents who love their children would make in a heartbeat, or NY minute!
If you are in the USA, have no POCs as Teachers, Admin, support staff, paraprofessionals, and or parents or students, and EVERYONE HAS CADILLAC HEALTH PLANS, I suppose they could have a legal case for justifying what you say you are being asked to do. You probably have realized by now that I resigned from LAUSD after it took over 19 months to obtain a double-time accommodation ( from iCAPP CO- directors Dr. Patricia Pernin and Dr. Tracy Eagle). The simple accomodation was for academic research and writing for a non-life-threatening-but- chronic-and-treatable visual disorder called Blepharospasm. This is an utterly ridiculous and wildly inappropriate amount of time to receive an ADA- compliant request it took my (sadly, regrettably it took my former doctoral program only 24 hours to grant this same accomodation back in the good old days of 2014.) NCU, represent! By the way, that LAUSD/iCAPP outcome happened ONLY because of "activist (!) educational leadership and direct advocacy from Ms. Melissa Winters ( and witnessed in the same LAUSD ZOOM room by Vice-Principals Valerie Chow and Elva Warren).
All that being said, ( finally!) I would assess what you describe prima facie as unwise, not based on any known science or pedagogical research in the 21st Century and a high risk most of us POCs do not have the luxury of time, money, or strong and engaged family support to even think about undertaking. I wish you will always do what your mind tells you is "the next right thing"!❤🧡💛💚💙💜🤎🖤🤍💯 qwschoolcoach@gmail.com
#W2RTV, #Walk2RockTheVote2020
